Health Ministry News

FREE BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING CLINIC – The Health Ministry will conduct a free Blood Pressure Screening Clinic, February 4th from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm in the parish hall. These screenings are presented to increase awareness and prevention and management of hypertension (high blood pressure) and are provided free by your Health Ministry. Because it is possible to have high blood pressure without any symptoms, and because untreated high blood pressure can cause serious problems, even death, it is often called “the silent killer”. Come to the free blood pressure screening clinics and let the nurses of our parish help you monitor and control your blood pressure.

THIS YEAR’S FLU SEASON IS THE WORST EVER AND IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO GET A FLU SHOT! – This flu season has the highest number of influenza-related illnesses in many years. The best defense against flu, the CDC, FDA, pediatricians and other health experts agree, is a flu vaccine. Just about everyone over the age of 6 months should get one, and it’s still not too late to do it! For patients with asthma or other lung conditions, flu is just one more problem for the lungs to cope with. These patients are already having breathing difficulties. The flu can put them into a spiral very quickly where their breathing gets compromised. Patients with diabetes already have a damaged immune response, so they also are more susceptible to flu. Humans need a certain level of oxygen and if blood oxygen levels fall too far, they enter a state called hypoxia. Hypoxia can cause organ damage within minutes. That’s why bluish skin or difficulty breathing is an emergency that requires immediate medical care